Bottle recapper



March 13, 1956 TR|NDL 2,738,117

BOTTLE RECAPPER Filed April 6, 1955 EFETZET c/bae a H. P1220! United States Patent BOTTLE RECAPPER- Joseph H. Trindl, Chicago, Ill.

Application April 6, 1953, Serial No. 346,964

9 Claims. (Cl. 2Z6-84) This invention relates to kitchen utensils and more particularly to tools of the type utilized in opening and recapping bottles of carbonated beverages and the like.

Since the invention of the crown-type bottle cap a great many years ago, that type of cap has become practically universally adopted for soft drink bottles and other similar bottles which are intended to be refilled and which therefore need an inexpensive, yet pressure-tight cap. With the advent of this type of bottle cap, numerous bottle cap removers were invented for removing the cap from the bottle. These bottle cap removers, however, have a universal failing in that they deform the cap so that it is impossible to recap the opened bottle by merely replacing the cap over the bottle opening manually;

It has been found desirable to provide a simple means for reclosing bottles of this nature, since very often the housewife or other user of the beverage finds it undesirable to utilize the entire contents of the bottle at a single time. The usual technique in reclosing the bottles is to utilize a separate, auxiliary, stopper. These auxiliary stoppers are kept in the house and utilized from time to time when partially empty bottles are to be kept. Needless to say, the use of auxiliary bottle stoppers is undesirable for several reasons, among which are thefact that a large number of the bottle stoppers are needed if more' than one partially empty bottle is to be retained. Due to the fact that it is often diflicult to locate the auxiliary cap when needed and further since the bottle stoppers must be washed and kept clean between uses, auxiliary caps are generally considered a nuisance. I

It has, therefore, for some time been desired that a tool be provided for manually recapping the bottle with the original cap. I am aware of tools for use in recapping the crown type of cap on partially empty beverage bottles. However,the prior art tools, to my knowledge, all suffer a common defect. This is that they'require a very strong person to manipulate them, or on the other hand they are extremely cumbersome and require cam actuated levers and other devices which can provide a great mechanical advantage.

The result of this is that the average housewife cannot recap a bottle with any of the inexpensive types of prior art tools and hence is forced to return to the auxiliary bottle stopper above mentioned. The only alternative to this is to buy complicated, bulky, apparatus for recapping bot ties. This latter course of action is very undesirable and seldom taken since the apparatus is expensive, and further is a nuisance in the kitchen.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a recapping tool which is extremely simple, which can be made very inexpensively and which provides means for recapping the crown-type bottle cap with the expendi- 2,738,117 Patented Mar. 13, 1956 ice Yet a further object of the present invention is to promentioned objections found in the prior art constructions.

Still a further object of the present invention is to provide a novel bottle recapping tool which is small and compact and hence'which may be kept with the other kitchen utensils such as knives and forks, in a small drawer.

Still a further object of the present invention is to provide a means for recapping a crown capped type of beverage container with the originally removed bottle cap, by deforming it into its initial capped condition after a deformation has taken place in removing it from the bottle.

A feature of the present invention is the provision of a force applying cup having progressively engaging surfaces.

Another feature of the present invention is the provision of a bottle capping tapered cup having cap-engaging surfaces which engage the periphery of the cap progressively as the recapper is applied to the bottle cap.

Still other and further features and objects of the present invention will at once become apparent to those skilled in the art from a consideration of the attached drawings, in which several modifications of the present invention are shown by way of illustration only.

On the drawings: I

Figure 1 is a plan view of the novel bottle cap remover and recapper constructed according to my invention;

Figure 2 is a side elevational view in cross-section taken along the lines IIII of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an end elevational view in cross-section taken along the lines IIIIII of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is an end elevationalview taken along the.

lines IV--IV of Figure 1 and showing the bottle cap retaining feature of the present invention;

Figure 5 is a plan view of a second modified form of the combined bottle cap remover and recapper constructed according to the principles of my invention;

Figure 6 is an elevation view showing the capper of the invention in position on a bottle cap to be replaced on the bottle, and

Figure 7 is an elevation view showing the operation of the cap remover of the invention.

As shown on the drawings:

As may be clearly seen from a consideration of Figures 1 through 4, the first modification of my invention comprises a bottle decapper and capper having a generally channel-shaped housing 10. This housing has a flat back portion 11 having side walls 12 extending completely therearound. The housing 10 contains ,a bottle recapper at the left hand end thereof as viewed in Figure 1 and a bottle cap remover at the right hand end as viewed in Figure 1, these devices being numbered 13 and 14 generally.

The bottle cap remover or decapper 14 comprises a radially inwardly directed flange or hook portion 15 which is deformed inwardly from the material of the wall 12. This ridge or lip 15 is constructed to he placed under the lip of the usual crown-type bottle cap as shown in Figure 7. The cap-removing end is provided with a slightly dished out portion 16 which is curved slightly to conform to the usual rounded top of the average crowntype of bottle cap. While this depression is advantageous in that it aids the tool to conform to the usual bottle cap and thereby prevents any distortion of the cap, it is not necessary to the successful operation of the bottle cap remover and it is therefore within the concepts of the present invention to provide a completely flat back surface 11 if so desired.

In order to retain the bottle cap in the bottle cap removing tool temporarily so that it will not drop therefrom immediately upon removing the bottle cap, I have provided novel retaining flanges-17. These flanges which maybe clearly, seen in Figure 4, are formed by slightly J deflecting the side walls 12 inwardly at points slightly removed from the lip portion 15. These indented flanges need not be inwardly deflected more than a few degrees in actual practice but are herein shown as deflected inwardly to a substantial degree. Thissomewhat exaggerated showing is made merely for purposes of clarity in the disclosure.

The actual determining .factor in the amount of deflection to be given the sidewalls 12 at the points 17 is the actual amount of expansion whichis necessary for the cap to have before it will slip over-the rim of the con tainer duringthe opening process. If the depressed or inclined flanges 17 are inclined at too great. an angle, they will prevent the expansion of the cap to the point necessary for its removal over the enlarged rim of the bottle. On the other hand if no indentation at all is provided, the bottle cap will quite readily drop free from the bottle cap remover. It .must of course be recognized that amount of indentation will depend somewhat on the actual width of the back portion 11 relative to the width of the bottle cap to be removed as well as the depth of the side walls 12.

In operation in removing a bottle cap from a bottle, the combination tool is applied to the bottle cap as shown in Figure 7. The lip is caught under the edge of the bottle cap 19 and the back 11 of the body 10 is urged downwardly as viewed in Figure 7 and as shown by the arrow therein. The force necessary to lift the edge of the cap 20 free of the retaining edge of the container is a relatively nominal amount as persons familiar with such an operation are well aware, and the operation may, of course, be done by persons of ordinary physical strength.

After the bottle cap has been removed from the bottle it may be retained in the tool until it is desired that the cap be replaced. As explained above, the cap is retained within the body It? by the inwardly deflected flanges 17. However, these flanges are not sufficiently tight to prevent the manual removal of the cap from within the decapping area if so desired. All that is necessary is that the cap be bodily lifted away from the back 12 of the tool by means of its lip 20.

After a portion of the contents of the container has been utilized, it may be desired that the remainder of the contents be saved. In this case, the novel recapping mechanism on the left end of the tool 10 as viewed in Figures 1, 2, and 5 is utilized. While the recapping cup 21 is somewhat similar to the recapping. cups utilized in the prior art for recapping bottles, a very important difference may be noted upon a careful consideration of Figures 2 and 3.

As may be seen, the walls of the cup 21 do not extend to a uniform depth around the entire circumference of the cup. Instead,'the recessed portions 22 and 23 are provided in the lip of the cup. By removing the material to form the recesses '22 and 23, upstanding ridges 24 and 25 are provided.

The depth of the recesses may vary in practicebut it has been found that for best results they should be at least as deep as shown in Figures 2 and 3.

While two recesses 22 and 23 and two upstanding ridges 24 and 25 are herein shown, it is, of course, to be realized that alternatively a plurality of ridges and recesses may be utilized if desired. For example a large number of recesses such as 5 or 6 recesses with a corresponding number of ridges may be provided if desired. in either case, the principle of operation remains the same.

As. may be seen from a consideration of Figure 6, the novel recapping tool of the present invention applies force to the edges 20 of the cap 19 in a progressive man ner. The ridges 24 and 25 initially contact the flared out rim 20 of the'bottle cap 19. As the cup 21 and the body 10 of the tool are moved vertically downwardly by means of the palm of the hand of the .user, more andmore of the recessed area of the tapered cup comes in contact withthe edge 20 of the cap 19. At any one time,'how

ever, only a portion of the rim of the bottle cap is being deflected radially inwardly from its maximum deformed condition by the tapered cup. Ultimately the entire cup moves down over the cap 19 and the entire periphery of the outer lip 20 is pressed completely into the annular groove 26 surrounding the bottle neck to retain the cap tightly in place. It has been found that the recapper of the present invention will recap the bottle to a pressure-tight condition which is substantially equivalent to the condition of the bottle as originally purchased and as capped at the factory.

A modification of the novel recapping apparatus shown in the present invention is disclosed in Figure 5. In that figure the cup 21' is shown as substantially elliptical except at the base 30 which remains circular. In this modification no recesses extending along the longitudinal axis of the cup, similar to 22 and 23 are provided. instead, the radially deformed nature of the cup provides the necessary progressive'action. At the point of widest diameter,.namely at 3132 of the cup, the cup will not initially engage the bottle cap in the recapping operation. Thus, in effect, this widened diameter of the cup acts as a recess. During the initial capping of the bottle the portions 33 and 34 of the rim of the cup engage the lip 20 of the bottle cap 19 and start the cap into position. As the tool is pressed downwardly against the cap, in the manner shown in Figure 6, the wide part of the cap, corresponding to the ends 31 and 32 gradually comes in corn tact with the rim 20 of the bottle cap and forces the entire rim 20 into the. annular groove 26 of the bottle.

' In either modification of the tool it may readily be seen that the irregular cup construction provides a progressive action which causes only a portion of the periphery of the bottle cap to be started inwardly at any one time. Since only a portion of the cap is intially deflected at any one instant, the force necessary to perform the deflection is, of course, reduced a substantial degree. This reduction in the necessary force permits the recapping of bottles. by women and children with ordinary strength, and yet permits a recapping which is substantially factorytight and which requires only a simple and inexpensive tool.

While the two embodiments discussed above, namely the embodiments shown in Figure 1 and 5, are preferred, nevertheless it is comtemplated that modifications may be made without departingfrom the scope of the present invention. For example, the elliptical cup 21' may be provided with an elliptical base 30' rather than the circular base as shown at 30. Such an elliptical base would provide a recapping cup which would force the bottle cap rim 20 into the annular groove 26 at only two sides of the cap. The tool could then be rotated approximately and again forced downwardly on the as yet undeforr'ned portion of the lip 20. While a bottle recapper constructed accordingv to this last method is perfectly satisfactory in operation, nevertheless it is less satisfactory than the two preferred methods since more than. one operation is required.

It will be seen from the above discussion and disclosure that I have provided a novel combination decapping and recapping tool. for crown-type bottle caps. This tool is far superior to any apparatus for performing the same functions new on the market since it is extremely simple and yet is capable of use by persons having only normal, or less than normal physical strength. Further, the tool is'practically indestructible since it. is manufactured of a substantially" cylindrical cup shaped member of heavy pressed' steel.

It will, of course, 'be understood that various details of construction maybe variedthrough a wide range without departing from the principles of this invention and it is therefore not the purpose to limit the patent granted hefeon-otherwisethan necessitated by the scope of the appended claims.

I claims as my invention:

1. A recapping tool for crown-type bottle caps comprising a metal cup having an inclined inner wall adapted to fit over and replace the cap on the opening of a container, the opening rim of said cup being relieved at portions thereof whereby the unrelieved portions will engage the expanded lip of the bottle cap prior to the relieved portions to thereby inwardly deform the edges of the bottle cap around the lip of the container in a progressive manner.

2. A tool for unsealing and sealing bottle caps, said tool comprising a handle portion having a cup at one end and an inwardly turned flange at the other end, said cup comprising a frusto-conical wall having an open edge, said edge being cut away at portions thereof to provide initial cap-engaging edges at the portions not cut away, whereby the initial cap-engaging portions will initiate the capping action and the cut-away portions will progressively come into action to complete the capping operation.

3. A portable recapping tool for recapping containers utilizingcrown-type bottle caps, comprising a metal cup having inclined inner walls adapted to fit over and compress the outwardly projecting lip of the crown cap, the open end of said cup being elliptical in shape whereby the opening will engage and force inwardly the lip of the bottle cap at the points of least diameter of the cup first and will progressively engage the bottle cap at the point of widest diameter last, whereby a progressive capping action is provided and a minimum of'energy expended in recapping the container.

4. A recapping tool for use in recapping crown-type bottle caps comprising a metal cup adapted to fit over and radially inwardly compress the crimps of the crown bottle cap about the opening of a container, said cup having an alternately raised and recessed peripheral edge whereby the raised portions of said edge will engage the edge of said bottle cap initially and the recessed portions of said periphery will engage the edge of said bottle cap progressively later to thereby cause a progressive capping action.

5. A recapping tool for use in recapping crown-type bottle caps comprising a metal cup having inclined inner walls adapted to fit over and radially inwardly compress the crimps of the crown bottle cap about the opening of a container, said cup having an alternately raised and recessed peripheral edge whereby the raised portions of said edge will engage the edge of said bottle cap initially and the recessed portions of said periphery will engage the edge of said bottle cap progressively later to thereby cause a progressive capping action.

6. A recapping tool for crown-type bottle caps com prising, a cup having an inclined inner peripheral wall adapted to fit over and deform the cap onto the opening of a container, the rim of the opening of said cup being irregularly shaped to provide a progressively applied force to the lip of the bottle cap as the cup is forced downwardly thereover.

7. A recapping tool according to claim 6 wherein the irregularities in the rim are formed by recesses extending from the rim of the cup into the wall of the cup in the.

prising a cup having a peripheral wall adapted to fit over A and deform the cap onto the opening of a container, the rim of the opening of said cup being irregularly shaped to sequentially apply capping forces to adjacent peripheral portions of the lip of the bottle cap as the cup is forced downwardly thereover.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,488,912 Hitchcock Nov. 22, 1949 2,510,459 Bloomfield et a1. June 6, 1950 2,514,566

Capriccio a July 11, 1950 

